Meridiastra gunnii
Gunns six-armed star | Patiriella brevispina
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
A six-armed species with dark tan or purple body surface, which contrasts with bright orange tube feet. This seastar can be extremely abundant on the edge of sheltered reefs or seagrass beds, where animals lift their arms into the water column and attempt to trap drifting plant or animal material.
Information
Max Size: 13 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 11.2-23.3°C
Depth: N/A
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Common (25.7% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Several (10 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney